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Deuteronomy 7:14 — Word Study

Depth

WLCבָּר֥וּךְ תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה מִכָּל־ הָעַמִּ֑ים לֹא־ יִהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֛ עָקָ֥ר וַֽעֲקָרָ֖ה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃

BSAYou will behâyâh blessedbârak [highly favored, praised] above allkôl peoplesʻam [nations, groups of people] there will behâyâh nolôʼ barren manʻâqâr [sterile, unable to produce] or womanʻâqâr [male or female] or livestockbᵉhêmâh [cattle, animals]

Word
Listen & take awayDeuteronomy 7
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 14 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (u.viv.hem.Te.kha) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Deuteronomy 7:14quick helps
In a sentenceGod promises Israel that they will be highly favored and fruitful.
Who is speakingMoses, speaking to the Israelites.
Where we arePart of the blessings outlined in Deuteronomy.
The hard wordבָּר֥וּךְ
Take awayGod's blessing ensures fertility and abundance.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause verbבָּרַךְ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Deuteronomy 7:14

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Blessings for Obediencegenerated

13He will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and oil, the young of your herds and the lambs of your flocks—in the land that He swore to your fathers to give you.
14You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock.
15And the LORD will remove from you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you.
16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

Deuteronomy 7:14 is part of a larger section where God outlines the blessings that will come to Israel if they obey His commands. This promise emphasizes that Israel will stand out among all nations, experiencing divine favor and prosperity, particularly in their families and livestock. The surrounding verses further elaborate on the blessings of fruitfulness and health that God will bestow upon them.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Deuteronomy 33:29Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
2Psalm 115:15May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3Psalm 147:19–20He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel.
4Deuteronomy 28:4–11The fruit of your womb will be blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of your livestock— the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5Exodus 23:26–33No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word בָּר֥וּךְ, ba.Rukhgenerated

The Hebrew word בָּרַךְ (*barak*) is a perfect passive participle, indicating a state of being blessed or favored. This word is built from a root meaning 'to kneel,' suggesting an act of worship or reverence, and it encompasses a range of meanings including 'to bless' and 'to curse.' In this context, it highlights God's favor towards Israel, setting them apart from other nations.

The passive form indicates that the blessing is bestowed upon Israel by God, emphasizing His active role in their prosperity. This reflects the covenant relationship where God promises to bless His people as they remain faithful to Him.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה, you will be, which governs the entire sentence. This verb is supported by a prepositional phrase indicating the subject of the blessing, followed by a clause detailing what will not exist among them.

The structure places emphasis on the blessings that will characterize Israel, with the negative clause לֹא־ יִהְיֶ֥ה there will be no following the promise of being blessed. This arrangement highlights the contrast between their favored status and the absence of barrenness.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates בָּר֥וּךְ as εὐλογητὸς, which carries a similar meaning of being blessed or favored. This choice reflects a consistent understanding of divine favor in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.

The use of ἔσῃ for תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה emphasizes the future aspect of the blessing, aligning with the Hebrew's promise of what is to come for Israel.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Deuteronomy 7:14 tells the Israelites that they will be blessed more than any other people, and among them, there will be no one who is barren, whether man, woman, or livestock. This promise highlights God's favor and the abundance He will provide.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to be blessed above all peoples?

To be blessed above all peoples means that Israel will receive special favor and abundance from God, distinguishing them from other nations.

Why does the verse mention barren men and women?

The mention of barren men and women emphasizes God's promise of fertility and prosperity, indicating that He will ensure that families and livestock thrive.

How does this verse relate to God's covenant with Israel?

This verse reflects God's covenant with Israel, where obedience to His commands results in blessings, including health and fertility.

What other blessings are mentioned in the surrounding verses?

Surrounding verses mention blessings such as increased numbers, prosperity in the land, and protection from sickness.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I experienced God's blessings in my life?
  2. How can I ensure that I remain obedient to God's commands to receive His blessings?
  3. What does it mean for my family and community to be fruitful and multiply?
  4. How can I support others in experiencing God's blessings?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Deuteronomy 7:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Thou shalt be blessed above all people,.... Even with temporal blessings, besides those of a religious kind; they having the oracles of God, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God,

Read John Gill on Deuteronomy 7 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

Read Robert Jamieson on Deuteronomy 7 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Deuteronomy 7:14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.Ver. 14. Thou shalt be blessed.] There is a μυριομακαριοτης in godliness.

Read John Trapp on Deuteronomy 7 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) All people.—Literally, all the peoples: i.e., all other states and communities.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Deuteronomy 7 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. not … barren] Exodus 23:26 (edit.); cp. above on Deuteronomy 7:13.

Read Cambridge on Deuteronomy 7 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

12-15. Here is the promise of great blessings if the people will keep the commandments of Jehovah. The flocks of thy sheep — The Hebrew expression only occurs again in Deuteronomy 28:4; Deuteronomy 28:18; Deuteronomy 28:51.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Deuteronomy 7 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

You will be blessed above all peoples. There won’t be male or female barren among you, or among your livestock.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

You will be blessed above all peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or livestock.

NETBNew English Translation2006

You will be blessed beyond all peoples; there will be no barrenness among you or your livestock.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Thou shalt be blessed aboue all people: there shall be neither male nor female barren among you, nor among your cattell.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Thou shalt be blessed above all the peoples; there shall not be male or female barren with thee, or with thy cattle;

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

'Blessed art thou above all the peoples, there is not in thee a barren man or a barren woman — nor among your cattle;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Blessed are you above all the peoples; there is not a barren man or a barren woman in you—nor among your livestock;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Blessed shalt thou be above all the nations; there shall not be a barren male or female among thee, nor among thy cattle.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

You will be blessed more than all other peoples; there will not be a childless male or a barren female among you or among your cattle.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Blessed shalt thou be among all people. No one shall be barren among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

You will be blessed more than any other nation; none of you will be childless, and none of your livestock will fail to have young.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

You will have greater blessings than any other people: no male or female among you or among your cattle will be without offspring.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseobjectבָּר֥וּךְblessedverbתִּֽהְיֶ֖הyou.will.beprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִmorenoun phraseכָּלthan.allnoun phraseהָtheעַמִּ֑יםpeoplesclauseadverbialלֹאnotverbיִהְיֶ֥הhe.will.beprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְamongךָ֛younoun phrase · subjectעָקָ֥רa.sterile.[male]וַֽandעֲקָרָ֖הa.barren.[female]וּandclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִamongnoun phraseבְהֶמְתֶּֽlivestockךָyour

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text is supported by the Samaritan Pentateuch, which agrees word for word, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which also match closely with the Masoretic Text, indicating a strong consistency in this verse across different ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

בָּר֥וּךְ תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה מִכָּל־ הָעַמִּ֑ים לֹא־ יִהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֛ עָקָ֥ר וַֽעֲקָרָ֖ה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
בָּר֥וּךְεὐλογητὸςתִּֽהְיֶ֖הἔσῃמִכָּל־πάνταהָעַמִּ֑יםἔθνηלֹא־οὐκיִהְיֶ֥הἔσταιבְךָ֛ὑμῖνעָקָ֥רἄγονοςוַֽעֲקָרָ֖הστεῖραוּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃σου

10 of the 10 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ברוך תהיה מכל העמים לא יהיה בך עקר ועקרה ובבהמתך

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q32a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

ברוך תהיה מכל העמים לא יהיה ב׳ך עקר ועקרה ובבהמת׳ך

8 words on the leather — 2 partly restored.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Deuteronomy 7:14בָּרַךְblessedblessedבָּרַךְהָיָהyou will beyou will beהָיָהכֹּלmore than amore than allכֹּלעַםthe peoplesthe peoplesעַםלֹאnotnotלֹאהָיָהhe will behe will beהָיָהךָּamong youamong youךָּעָקָרa sterile [a sterile [maleעָקָרעָקָרand a barreand a barren [fעָקָרבְּהֵמָהand among land among livesבְּהֵמָהעָקַרto uprootto uprootעָקַרהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלעָמַםto darkento darkenעָמַםבְּהֵמָהanimalanimalבְּהֵמָהאָרַרto curseto curseאָרַרעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהיָכֹלbe ablebe ableיָכֹלעוֹדstillstillעוֹדעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףאָדָםthe man (Athe man (Adam)אָדָם
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Deuteronomy 7:14

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
בָּר֥וּךְba.Rukh blessed H1288 Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine singular
330× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To bless means to praise or honor God, often by kneeling in worship. In the Bible, people bless God and God blesses people, showing favor and care for them, as seen in the story of Abraham and his descendants.
Amplified meaning
highly favored, praised
Tyndale gloss
to bless
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בָּרַךְ (*barak*) is built from a primitive root meaning 'to kneel' and encompasses a range of meanings including 'to bless' and 'to curse.' It can refer to blessing God or men, as well as the act of kneeling in adoration. The entries note that it can also imply a curse in certain contexts, reflecting a nuanced use in greetings and farewells.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[בָּרַךְ] 329 vb. kneel, bless

Qal

kneel down

bless

Niph. bless oneself

Pi.

bless God, adore with bended knees

God blesses

men bless men

salute, greet, with an invocation of blessing

bless, with the antithetical meaning curse from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates

Pu.

pass. to be blessed, adored

prospered by God

have prosperity invoked, by Balaam

in gratitude

Hiph. and he made his camel kneel

Hithp. bless oneself, congratulate oneself in his heart

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1288 בָּרַךְ kneel, bless .. kneel down

. bless

. bless oneself

. . bless God, adore with bended knees

. God blesses

. men bless men

. salute, greet, with an invocation of blessing

. bless, with the antithetical meaning curse from the greeting in departing, saying adieu to, taking leave of; but rather a blessing overdone and so really a curse as in vulgar English as well as in the Shemitic cognates

. . pass. to be blessed, adored

. prospered by God

. have prosperity invoked, by Balaam

. in gratitude

. and he made his camel kneel

. bless oneself, congratulate oneself in his heart

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1288 barak baw-rak'

a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as

an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit);

also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason):--X

abundantly, X altogether, X at all, blaspheme, bless,

congratulate, curse, X greatly, X indeed, kneel (down),

praise, salute, X still, thank.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בָּרַךְ (ba.rakh) — to bless.

1) to bless, kneel

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to kneel

1a2) to bless

1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself

1c) (Piel) to bless

1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored

1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel

1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself

2) (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse

Aramaic equivalent: be.rakh (בְּרַךְ "to bless" H1289)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Inf-c — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine singular
HVqsmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bles'-ed (barukh): Where God is referred to, this word has the sense of "praise," as in 1Sa 25:32, "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel." But where man is in mind it is used in the sense of "happy" or "favored," and most frequently so in the Psalms and the Gospels, as for example, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked" (Ps 1:1); "Blessed art thou among women" (Lu 1:42); "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3).

See BEATITUDES.

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
תִּֽהְיֶ֖הtih.Yeh you will be H1961 Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect second person masculine singular
HVqi2ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TESTAMENT.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ THE MENTAL FACULTY

Freedom of, recognized by God Ge 4:6-10; De 5:29; 1Ki 20:42; Isa 1:18-20; 43:26; Jer 36:3,7; Joh 7:17

See BLESSINGS, CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE

See CHOICE

See CONTINGENCY

→ OF GOD, THE SUPREME RULE OF DUTY Mt 6:10; 12:50; 26:39,42; Mr 3:35; 14:36; Lu 11:2; 22:42; Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; Ac…

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
מִכָּל־mi.kol more than all H3605 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.

(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.

(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).

(3) All one, "It is all one" (Job 9:22), "it makes no difference whether I live or die."

(4) At all, "If thy father miss me at all" (1Sa 20:6), "in any way," "in the least."

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
הָעַמִּ֑יםha.'a.Mim the peoples H5971 Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
1,873× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A people or nation is what this Hebrew word represents, like the nation of Israel in Exodus 33:13. It can also mean a tribe, troops, or attendants, and is used to describe a group of people gathered together. The word is often used to refer to the people of God.
Amplified meaning
nations, groups of people
Tyndale gloss
Amaw
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עַם (am) primarily means 'people' or 'nation,' referring to a collective group, often in the context of tribes such as those of Israel. It can also denote kinsmen or compatriots. The term appears in various contexts, including military and familial references. There is a mention of a specific individual named Ammi in Song of Solomon 6:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

a people, nation

= smaller units

= common people

people in gen., persons

phrases

base

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5971a עַם, עָם people H5971b עַם kinsman (on father's side)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5971 `am am

from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a

tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or

attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation,

people.

see HEBREW for 06004

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַם (am) — people.

: people/nation

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — kinsman.

kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Ammi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — People's (Gate).

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — (Ibleam)-am.

Combined with yiv.le.am (יִבְלְעָם "Ibleam" H2991)

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Amaw.

This name means nation, people

עַם (am) — people: soldiers.

: soldiers/army

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — people: creatures.

: creatures

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common masculine plural absolute
HTd/Ncmpa
blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
לֹא־lo'- not H3808 Particle
5,170× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3808 lo' lo

or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often

used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,

ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,

no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out

of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +

of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֹא (lo) — not.

1) not, no

1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)

1b) not (with modifier-negation)

1c) nothing (subst)

1d) without (with particle)

1e) before (of time)

Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTn
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
יִהְיֶ֥הyih.Yeh he will be H1961 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singular
HVqi3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TESTAMENT.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ THE MENTAL FACULTY

Freedom of, recognized by God Ge 4:6-10; De 5:29; 1Ki 20:42; Isa 1:18-20; 43:26; Jer 36:3,7; Joh 7:17

See BLESSINGS, CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE

See CHOICE

See CONTINGENCY

→ OF GOD, THE SUPREME RULE OF DUTY Mt 6:10; 12:50; 26:39,42; Mr 3:35; 14:36; Lu 11:2; 22:42; Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; Ac…

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
בְךָ֛ve.Kha among you H9031 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

ךָּ (ka) — you.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 2nd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HRd/Sp2ms — Preposition · suffix
HRd/Sp2ms
blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
עָקָ֥ר'a.Kar a sterile [male] H6135 Adj
12× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means sterile or barren, describing someone unable to have children, as seen in the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:6-8. This word is used to describe a woman who cannot bear children. It appears in the Bible to convey a sense of longing for a child.
Amplified meaning
sterile, unable to produce
Tyndale gloss
barren
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָקָר (aqar) means 'barren' or 'sterile,' referring to a lack of fertility in both males and females. It is derived from the root word for 'extirpated' in the generative organs. The term is used in contexts relating to infertility, particularly in women.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָקָר adj. barren

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6135 עָקָר barren

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6135 `aqar aw-kawr'

from 6131; sterile (as if extirpated in the generative

organs):--(X male or female) barren (woman).

see HEBREW for 06131

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָקָר (a.qar) — barren.

barren, sterile

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mal

(1) zakhar, zakhar, zakhur (the root means "to stand out," "to be prominent," here a physiological differentiation of the sex, as neqebhah, "female," which see);

(2) 'ish literally, "man";

(3) by circumlocution, only in the books of Samuel and Kings, mashtin beqir; ouron pros toichon, which the Revised Version (British and American) euphemistically renders "man-child" (1Sa 25:22,34; 1Ki 14:10)):

Gesenius has rightly pointed out that this phrase designates young boys, who do not as yet wear clothes, of whom the above description is accurate, while it does not apply in the case of adults, even in the modern Orient. We know this from the statement of Herodotus ii.35, relating to Egypt, and from Jud 3:24;

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
וַֽעֲקָרָ֖הva.'a.ka.Rah and a barren [female] H6135 Conjunction
12× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means sterile or barren, describing someone unable to have children, as seen in the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:6-8. This word is used to describe a woman who cannot bear children. It appears in the Bible to convey a sense of longing for a child.
Amplified meaning
male or female
Tyndale gloss
barren
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָקָר (aqar) means 'barren' or 'sterile,' referring to a lack of fertility in both males and females. It is derived from the root word for 'extirpated' in the generative organs. The term is used in contexts relating to infertility, particularly in women.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָקָר adj. barren

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6135 עָקָר barren

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6135 `aqar aw-kawr'

from 6131; sterile (as if extirpated in the generative

organs):--(X male or female) barren (woman).

see HEBREW for 06131

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָקָר (a.qar) — barren.

barren, sterile

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adj — Conjunction
HC/Aafsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fe'-mal: Two Hebrew words are thus translated:

(1) neqebhah, which is merely a physiological description of the sexual characteristic (from naqabh, "to perforate"), and which corresponds to zakhar, "male" (see under the word).

(2) 'ishshah, with the irregular plural nashim (only Ge 7:2, in all other places "wife," "woman"), the feminine form of 'ish, "man."

The Greek word is thelus, literally, "the nursing one," "the one giving suck" (from thelazo, "to suckle").

Israelitic law seems frequently guilty of unjust partiality in favor of the male sex, but we have to consider that most of these legal and religious disabilities of women can be explained from the social conditions prevailing at the time of legislation. They are therefore found also in contemporaneous Gentilereligions. Though traces of this prejudice against the weaker sex are…

blessed you will be more than all the peoples not he will be among you a sterile [male] and a barren [female] and among livestock your
וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃u.viv.hem.Te.kha and among livestock your H929 Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
190× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to animals, especially large quadruped mammals. It's used in the Bible to describe livestock, wild beasts, and other creatures. It appears in stories of creation, farming, and wildlife.
Amplified meaning
cattle, animals
Tyndale gloss
animal
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בְּהֵמָה (bhemah) refers to a beast or animal, typically denoting domesticated livestock or cattle, and occasionally wild beasts. It is derived from a root that suggests being mute, implying a 'dumb beast.' The term encompasses all living creatures other than humans, with a specific mention of large quadrupeds.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בְּהֵמָה 187 n.f. beast, animal, cattle

of living creatures other than man

opp. also to wild beasts

rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H929 בְּהֵמָה beast, animal, cattle . of living creatures other than man

. opp. also to wild beasts

. rarely of wild beasts, esp. carnivora

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

929 bhemah be-hay-maw'

from an unused root (probably meaning to be mute); properly,

a dumb beast; especially any large quadruped or animal (often

collective):--beast, cattle.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בְּהֵמָה (be.he.mah) — animal.

1) beast, cattle, animal

1a) beasts (coll of all animals)

1b) cattle, livestock (of domestic animals)

1c) wild beasts

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | N-fs | Suff — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp2ms
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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